Gaza live: Gaza aid flotilla delays departure

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

Gaza's health ministry said that 51 people were killed by Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 34,356 since 7 October.

Additionally, 77,368 people have been wounded since the start of the war.

In other developments:

• Thirty seven million tonnes of debris and rubble now litter the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel's bombardment, according to the UN.
• Hala Rharrit, the Arabic language spokesperson of the US State Department, has designed, citing her opposition to the Biden administration's Gaza policy.
• An Israeli air strike on a home near Gaza City's al-Rimal neighbourhood killed at least three people, including a woman and a child.
• Pro-Palestine protestors launched a Gaza solidarity encampment in front of the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Shaimaa, the eldest daughter of killed Palestinian poet Refaat al-Areer, was killed along with her husband and her newborn son in an Israeli strike near al-Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City.
• A Palestinian baby rescued from the womb of her mother in Gaza while she lay dying has died, according to her doctor.
• Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sustained minor injuries in a car accident and was transported to the hospital on Friday.
• A group of over 135 imams and religious scholars signed a statement of solidarity with student encampments in support of Palestine.

A group of over 135 imams and religious scholars signed a statement of solidarity with student encampments in support of Palestine saying that "we admire your courageous actions and various sacrifices for Palestine. May your efforts be a beacon of hope and transformation, inspiring further actions towards a just and equitable world."

The signatories include scholars and imam such as Omar Suleiman, Yasir Qadhi, Haifaa Younis, Mohammad Elshinawy, and Suhaib Webb.

"The recent escalatory encampments by students on campuses across the country, calling for divestment and solidarity with Palestine, reflect students’ commitment to holding the American university system accountable for aiding and abetting genocide in Gaza. It is their bravery, sacrifice, and organising that emboldens us to reaffirm our support and dedication to those students, regardless of race or religion," the statement, released on Friday, says.

"Today, you extend the tradition of resistance that discursively and materially ended Jim Crow and South African apartheid. The continued repression of pro-Palestine organising in this country signals how support for Israel has reached an impasse, whereby it cannot sustain itself without draconian measures to silence dissent," the statement continued.

According to a confidential United States document reviewed by Devex, Israeli actions have been deemed non-compliant with a White House directive mandating recipients of American military aid to adhere to international humanitarian law and allow unhindered delivery of US-funded humanitarian assistance.

The recent findings, released earlier this month, come after a national security memo was issued by the White House on 8 February. The memo instructed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to “obtain credible and reliable written assurances” from recipients of US weapons regarding their commitment to abide by international humanitarian law.

These findings are to be reported to both the White House and Congress. In the case of Israel, this requirement would pertain only to offensive weapons.

In a submission to Blinken, USAID officials assessed that the "government of Israel (GOI) does not currently demonstrate necessary compliance” with the memo’s requirement that it facilitate and not impede “the transport of delivery of United States humanitarian assistance” as well as US-backed international efforts to provide relief, Devex reported.

The USAID document raised significant concerns regarding the death toll of nearly 32,000 people, with approximately two-thirds assessed by the Government of Israel (GOI) as civilians. It suggested that these casualties might potentially constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. However, it noted that a definitive conclusion would depend on thorough analysis by US government legal experts.

On Friday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Iran should reevaluate the effectiveness of its weapons systems following the attack on Israel earlier this month.

"They should be questioning the effectiveness of their weapons systems and their planning," Austin told reporters.

"Hopefully they don't walk away from this over-confident that they can do this at will, because I think Israel has demonstrated that it has a significant ability to defend itself," Austin added.

On Friday, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said he saw fresh momentum in discussions aimed at ending the war in Gaza and facilitating the return of the remaining Israeli hostages.

"I believe that there is a renewed effort under way involving Qatar and Egypt as well as Israel to try to find a way forward," Sullivan told MSNBC in an interview.

"Do I think that there is new momentum, new life in these hostage talks? I believe there is."

Israeli officials told their Egyptian counterparts on Friday that Israel is prepared to grant hostage negotiations "one last chance" to secure a deal with Hamas before considering an invasion of Rafah, as reported by Axios, citing two Israeli officials.

"Israel told Egypt that it is serious about preparations for the operation in Rafah and that it will not let Hamas drag its feet," it quoted one of the officials as saying.

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sustained minor injuries in a car accident and was transported to the hospital on Friday, according to police who said they are probing the incident's details.

Footage on Israeli media showed the overturned car in which Ben-Gvir was travelling.

Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai told reporters that two additional individuals sustained injuries in the event. Ben-Gvir was departing from a site in the city of Ramle, close to Tel Aviv, where authorities reported a suspected stabbing incident had occurred just moments earlier.

Hamas has slammed an international proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza which placed the release of Israeli hostages as the first step in the process.

The group said they were open to a ceasefire, but said that the new proposal - made by the US and 17 other countries - failed to address Palestinian demands.

A Palestinian baby rescued from the womb of her mother in Gaza while she lay dying has died, according to her doctor.

The baby, named Sabreen al-Rouh, had been on a ventilator since being saved from her mother who was mortally wounded by an Israeli strike which also killed her husband and their three-year-old daughter.

Doctor Mohammad Salama, head of the emergency neo-natal unit at Emirati Hospital, said the baby died on Thursday.

"I and other doctors tried to save her, but she died. For me personally, it was a very difficult and painful day," he told Reuters by phone.

"She was born while her respiratory system wasn't mature, and her immune system was very weak and that is what led to her death. She joined her family as a martyr."

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has called the Gaza protests taking place across university campuses a "hallmark of democracy" but decried the lack of criticism of Hamas.

"In our own country, it's a hallmark of our democracy that our citizens make known their views, their concerns, their anger, at any given time, and I think that reflects the strength of the country, the strength of democracy," Blinken said, speaking at a press conference in China.

"It is also notable that there is silence about Hamas, as if it wasn't even part of the story."

"But as I've also said repeatedly, the way Israel goes about ensuring that Oct. 7 never happens again matters profoundly. And we're working every day to try to minimize the damage that's done to innocent people and to make sure that they have the assistance and support that they need."

Gaza's health ministry said that 51 people were killed by Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 34,356 since 7 October.

Additionally, 77,368 people have been wounded since the start of the war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he "very much understands" the passion behind ongoing pro-Palestine protests in US campuses and respects their right to protest.

"It is notable that there is silence about Hamas," he added, speaking at a news conference in Beijing, China.

"As I’ve said before … this could be over tomorrow, it could have been over yesterday, it could have been over months ago, if Hamas had put down its weapons, stopped hiding behind civilians, released the hostages and surrendered," he said. "But of course it has chosen not to do that."

Blinken insists that Israel is "working every day to try to minimise the damage done to people", but protesters in the US are accusing him and the Biden administration of complicity with Israel's actions in Gaza.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the "complete destruction" of the Gaza Strip as he hit out against truce talks between the government and Hamas.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Smotrich said negotiating with Hamas was irresponsible and members of the group should be killed instead.

"The time has come for the Mossad to return to doing what it was trained to do - to eliminate the heads of Hamas all over the world and not in negotiations that are conducted irresponsibly and harm Israel's security," he said. 

"With Hamas from now on we should only talk with shells and bombs."

READ MORE: Smotrich calls for 'complete destruction' of Gaza Strip

The chairman of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that Shaimaa, the eldest daughter of killed Palestinian poet Refaat al-Areer, was killed along with her husband and her newborn son in an Israeli strike near al-Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City.

Refaat was killed along with several members of his family in an Israeli strike on Gaza City back in December.

Pro-Palestine protesters have launched a Gaza solidarity encampment in front of the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

"We are here creating a liberated zone to stand in solidarity with the people in Palestine," the group said in a statement. "We are here in protest against Scottish and UK’s government complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza."

The move follows days of Palestine solidarity protests across university campuses in the US, which have recently extended to France and Australia.